Northern Michigan University's Niko Chaibal passes the ball during the Wildcats' men's soccer game against Wisconsin-Parkside at MTU Soccer Field in Marquette on Oct. 6. (Photo by Carla Kamps)
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Northern Michigan University's Niko Chaibal passes the ball during the Wildcats' men's soccer game against Wisconsin-Parkside at MTU Soccer Field in Marquette on Oct. 6. (Photo by Carla Kamps)
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Northern Michigan University's Tommaso Rami chases a pass from a teammate during a varsity men's soccer game against Northwood on Aug. 31 at NMU Soccer Fields in Marquette. (Photo provided by Carla Kamps)
MARQUETTE — A pair of Northern Michigan University men's sports teams will play free exhibitions inside the Superior Dome this weekend. The winter weather outside these days is just a rumor.
Fans can come to the Dome for free on Saturday at 1 p.m. to watch the newest version of the Wildcats football team try to hit the reset button after struggling throughout last season. A shop will also be open.
NMU was 0-11 under first-year head coach Shane Richardson. Northern allowed at least 60 points four times, but the situation may have been made worse by two defensive players who left through the NCAA transfer portal before the season started and became NCAA Division II All-Americans at their new schools. .
Richardson and Co., whose staff currently includes recent addition Joe Gatz as offensive line coach, has been practicing for several weeks in preparation for Saturday's event. According to NMU Sports Information, the event will feature offensive vs. defensive sets, position-specific group practices, and situational drills. Especially football.
The Wildcats men's soccer team will play a free exhibition game at the Dome against Wisconsin-Superior on Sunday at 4 p.m.
Northern Michigan University's Tommaso Rami chases a pass from a teammate during a varsity men's soccer game against Northwood on Aug. 31 at NMU Soccer Fields in Marquette. (Photo provided by Carla Kamps)
In the past two exhibitions this spring, this NMU team has won both and outscored its opponents 10-1.
NMU's men's team also faced UW-Superior in an exhibition in 2023, winning that game, but UW-Superior is the dominant force in the NCAA Division III Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. The team went 17-4-2 overall and 13-1 in the UMAC. last fall.
“We introduced an energetic and exciting style of play to combine with possession principles, which made this program exciting to watch.” Northern head coach Alex Fatovic said.
Fatovic hopes the Wildcats, who finished 2-10-4 in 2023 with shutout losses in nine of 16 games, can show more offensive power next fall.
Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.
